Stag Josh Clarkson bags a maiden speccy

Posted Sunday, 26 October, 2025 in Match Reports

With a surprise new coach on board for this Ford Trophy and Plunket Shield season, the Central Stags produced a cohesive effort in a win against the Wellington Firebirds to get their one-day campaign off to a winning start at Pukekura Park.

Former Stags first-class captain, now Head Coach Greg Hay - who only retired from playing last year, has been in the hot seat for less than a week, but Central looked completely unfazed by any preseason uncertainty as they waltzed away with the spoils in New Plymouth for a bonus point, four-wicket win.

All images: MBUTCHER

The home highlight was big allrounder Josh Clarkson’s maiden five-wicket bag in the first innings, and his first two wickets - an unconverted hat-trick - put the brakes on a good start from the visiting Firebirds whose top order initially had the better of their hosts.

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Clarkson walked off at lunch with an impressive 5/32 off his 10 after finishing his set with a wicket maiden (one of two unblemished overs), but it wasn’t the only positive sign for Central as the new season kicked off.

Their fielding was sharp as a tack and, with the bat, Dean Foxcroft - who will have been eager to start well, marked his first Central Domestic innings since 2019 with an attractive half century (51 off 47).

The off-season's midwinter trip to Guyana for the Global Super League seemed to have given the Stags a head start in togetherness.

While Foxcroft and Curtis Heaphy brought the classic strokeplay, opener Brad Schmulian anchored with his own half ton to get the hosts into a position to chase down the winning runs inside 40 overs for the bonus.

They had needed 200 on the nose on the boutique ground, after having dismissed Wellington for 199 in 40.5 overs, having earlier sent them in.

Spinner and captain Jayden Lennox also had a say with the ball (and took a well judged catch in the outfield), finishing with a tight 3/20, but Clarkson’s accurate medium pace was the game-changing difference as things went off script early for the capital.

Wellington’s good start came from Tim Robinson, fresh from an impressive BLACKCAPS stint, who crunched 45 at first drop, at run-a-ball pace.

Opener Jesse Tashkoff was trucking nicely too, with five boundaries in his 21 at the top before Blair Tickner stopped him in his tracks in the fourth over.

Gareth Severin (60) took over the rebuild, got his maiden List A half century, and had a chance to lead the way home but ladled a catch to Tickner off Lennox at 159/5. After that, Logan van Beek's 44 was the only significant contribution to the tally.

A total of 200 is tough to defend at Pukekura but with the ball, the Firebirds still had their moments.

Liam Dudding got a big early wicket in Dane Cleaver, and Taranaki home crowd darling, former BLACKCAP and now Scotland international Tom Bruce departed for a golden duck when he was caught off Peter Younghusband.

Veteran leggie Younghusband was the biggest threat to Central on the overcast afternoon, and he gave his side a boost with his 3/59.

Late wickets clattered, but opener Schmulian had hung round until the 40th over for his disciplined 60 and that gave the rest of the Stags the freedom to play around him, in front of vociferous home support with no junior cricket on the Labour weekend Saturday.

James Hartshorn picked up two wickets | MBUTCHER

The Stags finished third last season after dipping out in the Elimination Final and, alongside fellow finalists Canterbury and the Auckland Aces, were now off to a perfect start in 2025/26 with their first-up bonus point.

They'll be back at Pukekura Park on Thursday to host Northern Districts in Round Two, ND having meanwhile lost to the Auckland Aces in the first round in the big smoke.